Bung-bushing.



PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906, I G. H. RIGKE.-

BUN G BUSHI PPLICATION 'A FILED APR.21,19

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27', 1906.

Application filed April 21, 1905. Serial No. 256,803.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. RIoKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bung-Bushings,

of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a cheap, simple, and eflicient bushing for barrels which will prevent the bung-stave from cracking.

Great difficulty has been experienced in keeping the bung-stave (the stave into which the bushing is placed) from cracking. When the ordinarily-used screw-threaded bush is screwed into the staves, it often cracks the stave, and when the keg is pitched the heat is transmitted to the wood, and the staves must be rebushed or a new stave provided. In handling the kegs they often fall on the bush where it is exposed on the outside of the keg, and the shock is transmitted to the stave, and as the wood cannot give the stave is cracked. When it is necessary to repitch the keg, which is quite often, the hoops must be repulled. 'When this is done, the ordinary rigidly-retained bush will not yield and often cracks the stave. This is not the case with my bush. My invention obviates all of these objections, as will be ap arent from the following description and c aims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of the bush in the stave, the stave partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bush in the stave, the stave partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a side view of my bush in a stave, the stave being in section and partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of my bush in the stave and the stave partly broken away. Fig. 5 is a view of the bush, showing screw-threads on the inside thereof, the parts being in section and partly broken away.

A represents the stave. The bush consists of an annulus or ring B, provided at its upper extremity with a flange O and at or near its center at the periphery of the ring B withaseries of screw-threads D. I may use two or more of these screw-threads. They may be practically flush with the ringB or extend out as far as desired. Between this series of screwthreads D and the flange 0 and between the said screw-threads D and the bottom edge E at the periphery of the bush I interpose two or more guides, lugs, guards, or pieces G. In the present instance I use four, disposed around the bush at its periphery and equidistant from one another. I may placethem as desired, however, and make them of any shape or size. These lugs G are preferably so formed that when the bush is screwed into the bung-hole they will lie up against the wood and impinge to a certain extent against said wood to guide the bush when it is being screwed into place and to hold it in a permanent and fixed position after it has been screwed into place. They keep the bush from tilting or wabbling or losing its proper or fixed position.

It will be seen that spaces H are left between the lugs G and the wall of the bunghole, these spaces H keeping the bung-stave from cracking, as the wood of the stave around the bung-hole has a chance to give or find a space when pressure is brought upon it by any reason, and they also keep the heat from the pitching-machine pipe from coming -1n contact directly with the stave, keeping it from charring or cracking. Pitch will also flow into these spaces at the bottom of the bush, so that the beer will not come into contact with the wood up around the bush and keep the water when the keg is cleaned from passing up and corroding the bush.

In Fig. 5 the bush is shown screw-threaded on the inside, the screw-thread being designated by the letter K. This can be used when it is desired to fill the barrel by screwing a nozzle or pipe into it. This can be used in oil-barrels to good effect and in other barrels which are to be emptied at one time or out of which the contents are pumped, the tight screw-threaded connection keeping the contents from being wasted.

If perchance the bung-stave should crack, the pitch will flow up and fill said crack and keep the keg from leaking, thus saving the beer and the expense incident to a package of stale beer.

My bush can be placed into the bung-hole with the ordinary bush-wrench and readily screwed home or with a machine made to place bushes into kegs.

Inasmuch as my bush reaches into the stave only at a limited space at its periphery, the stave is saved from cracking. It may be made of any other shape or contour and out of any material.

The series of screw-threads might, if desired, be placed near the flange or near at the lower extremity of the bush and lugs used only below or above said screw-threads What I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bung-bushing, an annulus provided with a flange, a series of screw-threads, said screw-threads disposed at the periphery of the bush, and means between said screwthreads and. the extremity of the bush for guiding and holding the same in the bunghole to prevent tilting as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a bung-bushing, an annulus provided with a flange, a series of screw-threads at the periphery of said annulus, disposed midway of its length, lugs, said lugs extending out from the periphery of thebush between the screw-threads and the top flange and between the screw-threads and the lower extremity of the bush, as and for the purposes set forth. a

3. In a bung-bushing, an annulus provided with a flange, a series of screw-threads at the periphery of said annulus disposed midway of its length, lugs, said lugs extending out from the periphery of the bush between the screw-threads and the top flange and between the screw-threads and the lower extremity of the bush, a space provided between said lugs, the periphery of the bush and the bung-hole wall, as and for the purposes set forth.

GEORGE H. RIOKE. Witnesses ALEXANDhR REID, J. G. DAVIS. 

